New Scientist


Should you stop using preventive flea treatments on your pets?

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 23:01:00 +0000

It has been assumed for decades that tick and flea treatments for pets pose no threat to wildlife or people, but there’s growing evidence that we have got it wrong


Most people prefer AI-written stories – and can’t tell when they are made by humans

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 23:01:00 +0000

People appear to prefer short stories created by AI over those written by humans. They are also no better than chance at telling which is which


The once-impossible black holes that could break thermodynamics

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

The laws of physics seemed to forbid a strange variety of black holes that could have zero temperature. Columnist Jacklin Kwan explores research that shows these strange behemoths can really exist – and how they could test the limits of thermodynamics


Darwin proved right about gnat-trapping carnivorous plant

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Botanists have finally proved what Charles Darwin was unable to nail down – that a genus of plants known to catch insects also digests them, suggesting the extent of plant carnivory has been underestimated


We’re beginning to understand the sudden ‘grief attacks’ that hit mourners

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0000

A few years ago, psychologist Sherman Lee experienced a "grief attack". When he set out to study them, he discovered just how powerful and all-consuming grief can be


The best new popular science books of August 2026

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000

From which diets work best to the ethics of octopus farming, here’s Liz Else’s round-up of the most interesting popular science books published this month


Canadian wildfires are reducing solar power generation in Europe

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 10:01:37 +0000

Lost solar power due to smoke blocking the sun cost Europe and North America nearly $2 billion in 2023 alone


Parts of the UK endure first ever month without any rain

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 08:47:42 +0000

For the first time since records began, there was no rain at all for parts of southern England and Wales in July, in a “truly exceptional” month of heat and sunshine


Why winner of biggest prize in maths has decided to work on AI instead

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Jacob Tsimerman won a Fields medal last month – now he is leaving mathematics to work on AI safety


OpenAI announces solutions to 10 longstanding maths problems

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:16:03 +0000

Ten conundrums that stumped human mathematicians for years have been cracked by OpenAI's Astra model, continuing a hot streak of AI-driven breakthroughs that are shaking up the field